


No Man's Sky

by Gameguy199



Category: No Man's Sky (Video Game)
Genre: Aliens, Human, Other, unknown worlds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-10 10:24:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11689686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gameguy199/pseuds/Gameguy199
Summary: Crashed on an alien world, a lone human must survive and try to figure out where he is and how to get back to his people. Along the way he'll encounter aliens, both friendly and hostile; as well as mysteries, numerious unknown discoveries and perhaps even his destiny. Can he survive long enough to get back where he came from? Or will he be swallowed the sky's that belong to no man?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey folks.   
> so this is my first attempts at a No Man Sky fanfiction.   
> hope you all enjoy.

Darkness surrounded him. He struggled, his body refusing to move at first. All around him was darkness, no light to show him where he was or what was around him, just darkness. Slowly his body began to respond; his fingers starting to bend and move, his hands starting to clench and unclench. It was slow at first, a tiny pin prick of light piercing the darkness that enveloped him. As his body continued to wake the light began to grow, becoming bigger and bigger until it was blinding. He turned his head, trying to look away from the light that was blinding him, closing his eyes. He knew what was happening. He’d been in hyper sleep, in a kind of suspended animation for who knew how long. His brain needed time to adjust and get used to his senses again.

Even with his eyes closed he could tell he was no longer in space, the feeling of gravity trying to pull him forward just a bit was a big tip off; a sign that his pod was probably at an angle right now. The lack of alert sirens meant he was safe, for now; probably sitting in the med bay of whatever ship had responded to the Cruiser’s distress signal. Normally there would be someone talking to him, trying to make sure he was mentally awake. But there was nothing but silence around him, perhaps everyone was asleep?

Taking a deep breath he felt his throat itch a little, a faint taste of pepper making him wheeze slightly. There must be alien’s serving on the vessel he was on; and whatever was causing the peppery taste in his mouth was no doubt mixed into the atmosphere of the ship to allow them to breathe easier.

After several minutes he took another breath. Slowly he opened his eyes, allowing his eyes time to adjust before opening them completely. A second later his eyes widened in shock. He wasn’t in a ship’s medbay as he’d expected, he wasn’t even in a cargo-hold; he was outside.

He blinked, his half asleep mind struggling to understand what he was seeing. In front of him was an alien world. High above him a sky of purple light stretched out endlessly until it seemed to run into a large range of green mountains off in the distance. Immediately in front of him he could see grasses blowing and fluttering in the breeze. The grass was alien; a strange red color with puffy tips at the end that made him think of wheat. A ways away he could see hills lumbering through the landscape.

Forcing himself to take several deep breath he worked to remain calm. Panicking wouldn’t do him any good. He needed to be methodical. Turning his attention to the pod he was in he shifted, a small sigh of relief escaping him as he found what he was looking for. At his feet was a small footlocker used for storing basic survival gear. All he had to do was get free of the restraints that had kept him from getting injured in the crash. Feeling around with his right hand he quickly found the pull he was looking for. Tugging on the release he felt the restraints go slack as they released him.

His legs shook as his weight came to rest on them. for a few moments he remained leaning against the wall, allowing his legs to get used to carrying his weight again. he’d heard of this, they called it 0G fatigue. His muscles and body had been in space so long that they’d started to weaken in strength. Dimly he wondered; how long had he been asleep for? But again he pushed that thought aside. For now he had work to do.

Slowly he moved, kneeling down before reaching out and pulling the footlocker open. Another sign of relief as he gazed at what was inside. The first thing he was draw to were several small blue cylinders, each one giving off a faint blue light a sign that the mixtures inside were still good and hadn’t spoiled. He pocketed the powercells, he’d need them. Next his eyes roved over the omni-tool, taking in the simple device’s design. It was a basic model, he could see where he was meant to plug in programing chips, which would allow him to change how the tool worked. Tapping the button he nodded as he found the tool was already programmed with two functions; mining and boltcaster.

Dropping the tool into the empty holster at his side he shifted, reaching down before grabbing the final object inside the locker. Off all the items in there, this was by far the most important. Working to secure the item in place he watched as the small wrist mounted computer began to not and wake up; the words Pipboy Mark 12.9 flashing on the screen for a moment before vanishing a second later. He knelt there, waiting as the machine slowly wake up. After several moments information began to trickle through the device.

It was a bit odd if he was honest, as the wrist computer communicated with the nanites in his blood, he could not help but shift nervously; his skin itching slightly as he waited. After a minute the system blinked and chirped a sign that everything was functioning the way it should be. A moment later information began to appear; not on the pipboy’s screen but in front of his eyes. He watched as information about his health and stamina flashed before his pupils before fading from view, waiting to be called back up if he needed it. Another graph appeared before his eyes, this one showing his current life-support stability. The nanites in his blood could do a lot of things. As he traveled they’d filter oxygen from whatever atmosphere he was in and if need be generate a limited amount if there wasn’t any around him. They’d also work to keep him from getting fatigued and heal him if necessary, so long as he could keep them fueled.

Standing up he turned, moving to face the clear portal that was the door to the pod. Again he felt his stomach and heart jolt as he found himself looking at the strange alien world before him. He’d been given training, taught to survive in all kind of conditions from deserts to jungles, and even zero gravity; but………was he prepared for this?

As if sensing his uncertainty his heads up display flashed, the bar measuring his health flashing before his eyes for a moment. It was an odd kind of assurance, but a welcome one. Looking down at his pipboy he moved, pressing a button on the side of the devise. A split second later a moment of dizziness washed through him as the pipboy reacted; sending a stimulating shock to his brain causing his five senses to heighten for a fraction of a second. As the dizziness subsided a new marker appeared before his eyes, a small circle with a question mark in the middle. The sign associated with an unknown location.

Taking another breath he moved, reaching out to push the door of the pod open. As he moved he caught sight of his reflection in the door. His brown hair was cut short, standard for military personal. His skin was pale, no doubt a result of being in the pod, frozen in cryo and not absorbing any sunlight for who knew how long. Blinking for a moment he paused. Centuries ago when mankind had first set foot on their own mood, the man who’d stepped down had said something inspirational. They’d expanded since them, humanity had many worlds now with just as many inspirational lines spoken upon landing for the first time. Perhaps he should say something on this occasion? After a few moments of thought a quote came to mind.

“To boldly go, where no man has gone before.”

Grabbing the release handle he grunted, his long idle muscles struggling to turn the release to open the pod door. After several minutes of struggling he heard the ‘thud’ he’d been hoping for. A moment later the sound of hissing gasses met his ears, accompanied moments later by a cool electronic voice speaking in his ear.

‘ _Toxic clouds detected.’_

A moment later a new bar appeared before his eyes. A bright green indicator of just how efficiently the nanites in his body could repel the toxic environment. He bit his lip at that. He hadn’t expected the environment to be toxic, but it was too late to turn back now. In front of him the door to the pod lurched as the clamps and seals that had kept it in place released. Putting his shoulder to the door he shoved, grunting as again his muscles strained with effort. For a moment there was resistance, but it was only for a second. He yelped loudly as the door unexpectedly moved, falling to the alien ground and releasing him from the pod.

He landed on top of the door, making him cough as he moved to get back to his feet. Blinking in the sudden sunlight he turned, taking a moment to look at the pod that had carried him in. According military regulations pods were supposed to be scrubbed clean of any and all blemishes so that the white metal they were made of was clearly visible in the impossible darkness of space. The metal of his pod however was far from its original white color. Dust and soot covered the metal skin of the pod, making it look more like some kind of humongous dirt clod than an escape pod. Several part of the skin were dented and pitted, a sure sign that it had collided or been hit by something in space. Luckily the skin had held up, resisting whatever had struck it and not breaking open.

Taking another breath he winced, noting the bar that measured the toxins in his blood dropped a bit, a sign he was making the nanites work harder.  He turned away from the pod, getting to his feet so as to survey the area around him.

He was on some kind of bluff. In front of him gentle ground covered in the strange red wheat stretched for several hundred feet. In the distance the mountains he seen before stuck up from the ground. Now that he was free from the pod he could hear things around him. The sound of what appeared to be waves met his ears. Perhaps he was near an ocean or large lake? But his attention was drawn by a new sound, a loud rasping call from some wild animal off in the distance. Instinctually his hand went to his omni-tool.

He’d have to be careful here. Who knew what types of animals he’d encounter? Taking another breath he steadied himself; he was wasting time. He needed to find shelter, or at the very least a place where the level of toxic materials wasn’t as high. Turning towards the unknown location icon he began to move, stepping off the door he’d landed on and taking his first steps onto the alien world he’d landed on.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

 

The planet was starting to take it’s toil on him. Each step her took was a little strained, a result of the planet’s gravity being a bit stronger than he was used too. When he’d first started walking it hadn’t been an issue, but now after several hours of trudging across the planet’s surface the strain was starting to show. Pausing for a moment he moved, leaning against some kind of tree; with bark striped like a candy cane, for a momentary breather. Muscle fatigue wasn’t the only thing starting to affect him. The taste of pepper in his mouth was getting stronger. And the bar indicating the toxicity levels in his body were starting to rise to unsafe levels.

As he stood there, leaning against the tree he felt a small wave of dizziness wash over him. Things were starting to become desperate. He needed to find shelter soon, or at least some place where the levels of toxic materials in the clouds didn’t have such a strong effect one him. Glancing at the map his pipboy he sighed. He’d walked about two miles already. If need be he could always turn back and try to make a shelter out of the drop pod he’d awoken in. widening the range of his map he noted he was quite a bit closer to the unknown location icons he’d seen when he’d scanned the local area. If his map was accurate, he should be only a few minutes away.

Biting his lip he made up his mind. There was have been something noteworthy in that area, or his scanners wouldn’t have picked up on it. He’d keep going, hike out there and see what it was. And if it wasn’t something that could help him……he’d high tail it back to his drop pod and pray he could convert it into a shelter before the toxins in his body reached critical levels.

Resuming his hike he continued onward. With each step he took the grasses he was walking through parted and swayed. He’d scanned the grasses, finding them to be carbon based but having little to no nutritional value to him. At a distance he’d seen some animals grazing; the large alien creatures looking like some kind of odd cross between a horses body and a house fly’s head. Part of him had been curious; wondering if the alien creatures were friendly or not. Another part of him; the part he’d chosen to listen to, had gripped his omnitool tighter and had  given the creatures a wide birth.

Grunting slightly as he came to a hill he struggled, working against the planets own gravity and his growing fatigue as he worked to scale the landscape. According to his scanned the location of interest should be right on the other side of the……

As he reached the summit of the hill he looked out, his mind going blank for a moment as he took in the sight before him. It was some kind of ruin. In front of him the large stone structure jutted out harshly from the landscape. The stone walls still stood, although plant life had begun to grow and work between the cracks of stone. The structure itself looked like some kind of temple; a large set of stone steps leading upwards to some kind of walkway which encircled a large central stone tower. As far as he could see the site was abandoned, the only signs of life shower; those of planets.

Slowly he stepped forward towards the steps that led upwards. He was on the edge of the bluff now; if he climbed the structure and looked out from the walkway…..he might be able to get a better survey of the planet. Certainly his scanner would be able to reach further, than before. Nervously he looked up at the large stone structure before him. The structure was decaying, could it even support his weight?

Testing the stone stairway with his foot he found the stone to be just as unyielding as a normal stone. He started slowly, taking one step, then another and another; slowly ascending the ancient stone staircase which slowly carried him higher and higher. About halfway up the stairs he paused the planet’s gravity was becoming a problem, making it feel as if he was carrying an extra 50 pounds of gear. He moved without thinking, his hand moving out to touch a section of a stone column that had some kind of design carved into the front face.

A split second later he yelped, his training making him wrench his omnitool from its holster; pointing the weapon at the section of column as it let out a loud squawking sound. He leveled his weapon at the column, his heart racing as the circular design carved into the front of the stone began to glow a faint blue inner light. It happened a moment later, a wave of dizziness seemed to wash through him, his mind going blank for a moment. It was like he’d fallen away from the world. The planet seemed to fall away replaced by…….a word.

_‘Traveler’_

As soon as it started, the feeling vanished; suddenly he was back. His heart still pounded as he watched the stone before him. Part of him felt very much like pulling the trigger and destroying the strange stone. But he decided against it. It would be better for him to conserve his ammo. Nevertheless he kept his weapon out, continuing his way up the stairs until he reached the top. Now at the top he could see the ruined tower with more clarity as well as the walkway that surrounded it. The tower itself seemed to be just barely hanging on, even as he stood there looking at it the tower groaned as the breeze brushed against it. The walkway appeared to be safe, he could see no missing stones or cracking as he hurriedly moved passed the tower and towards the edge of the walkway. As he passed the tower he found the walkway continued, jutting out and forming some kind of balcony with looked out over the edge of the bluff.

But there was something at the edge of the balcony that caught his attention; an orb.

Stepping forward his eyes widened as he found the orb to be made out of what looked to be solid gold; with intricate designs and patters carved into the surface. Brining his pipboy up he tapped a button, scanning the object so that he could examine it later. Slowly he moved, walking around the orb which was easily the size of a person. He’d just rounded the other side when he spotted it; something that certainly didn’t belong in this decaying and dusty old ruin.

Again he brought his weapon up, his eyes scanning for some kind of ambush or threat as he cautiously moved forward. It was some kind of makeshift camp. Someone…..or something had setup a small workstation, a soft blue light emitting from some kind of lantern or light made of swirling blue liquid. Above him fabric had been stretched out, creating a canopy that provided shade, a tablet lay on the ground, it’s screen cracked and shattered. But it was something else that drew his attention, a large stain of what appeared to be purple blood covering the stone floor.

Yet despite the pool of purple blood that stained the grey stone, there was no body. Whoever had been attacked was gone. Maybe they’d managed to escape? Or maybe they’d dragged themselves away only to die somewhere else? Or……had been dragged off and killed somewhere else?

The possibilities swirled in his head for a moment; imagines of an unknown alien being attacked and injured before being dragged off to who knew what fate. But a moment his attention was pulled from his thoughts as a cool electronic female voice spoke in his ear.

“ _Toxic levels rising._ ”

He shook his head. He didn’t have time for this. He needed to focus. Turning his back on the makeshift camp he turned his attention towards the balcony. He could see beyond the bluffs now. In front of him the ground dropped away, forming a cliff which dropped downwards for a few hundred feet. Beyond that he could see more land covered in the red grasses stretching further and further until they met the mountains far off in the distance. To his right he could see an ocean, the slightly familiar blue water making him feel a little less tense than he’d been a moment before. And……..

His eyes widened again. He could see something in the distance; something that didn’t look like it was part of the natural planet, but made with tools. He squinted, mentally wishing he had a pair of binoculars as he struggled to see. It looked like a tower; but not a decaying one of stone like the one behind him. This one seemed to glint in the sunlight, perhaps a result of it being made of metal?

A moment later he pinged his scanned, bracing himself as the data was collected, compiled and relayed to him. Whatever it was he was seeing; his scanned had marked it as worth looking at, the same icon that had marked the ruins he now stood in appearing. And according to the map if he could find a way down safely he’d be only a few minutes away from the structure. Biting his lip he looked around. To the left of the ruin the land slopped downward, not the harsh drop of the cliff he was one, but instead a soft slop that looked like he could hike down it. That would take time though, and time was not something had a lot of at the moment.

Turning back around he paused, his eyes roving over the wrecked work camp before him. Whoever or whatever had been using the camp seemed to be dead. That was the conclusion he could draw with all the blood. So it wasn’t like anyone would mind if……

He worked quickly, using his omnitool’s mining function to cut down the fabric canopy that hung above him before draping it over his shoulders like a scarf. The air may have been a pleasant temperature now, but who knew what kind of weather patterns this planet had, something to keep rain or snow off of his face, or to keep him warm; it certain could hurt his chances of survival. Next he tuned to the scattered tools that lay about. Most were broken, looking as if some wild animal had come along and stomped on them, but one thing drew his attention. Kneeling down to pick up the item he examined it. it looked like a rangefinder for snipers.

Looking into what he hoped was the correct end he found that the world jumped forward as the device whirred to life, zooming in and showing him a magnified view of the stone he’d been looking at. A small chuckle escaped his lips; finally something had gone right. Turning back around he brought the top back up to his eyes, and pointed it in the direction of the tower he’d seen in the distance. Again the world jumped forward, allowing him to make out with more clarity the structure he’d seen. It was definitely some kind of tower or base. He could see a circular building of some kind; a flag of yellow fluttering in the breeze. A short ways away a few smaller rectangular buildings, perhaps some kind of sheds for storage? He could also see something else, some kind of device or machinery sink into the ground, a small trickle of smoke rising from it.

Lowering the view finder he again breathed a small sigh of relief. Things were slowly starting to turn up. Moving back down the way he’d come he made his way down the ancient stairway before turning left and starting off. The sun was starting to drop now, having reached it’s peak a little while ago; now it was starting to fall. He’d have to hurry.

As if to reinforce that thought his system flashed, a remainder of the level of toxins in his blood flashing before his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey folks  
> short chapter today
> 
> will he live?  
> will he die?

He was starting to think he was going to die here. Each step her took was no longer surefooted and deliberate; now his legs shook with the effort of each step. His muscles ached, each step and movement making his body beg  him to stop and rest. But he had no time to rest. According to his scanner he was less than a quarter of a mile from the building he’d seen while attack the ancient ruins. And if that wasn’t motivation enough the now flickering bar showing the toxicity level in his blood was reaching its limits; not that he needed the bar to tell him.

His head throbbed with a truly killer headache. The taste of pepper had become almost unbearably strong in his mouth. His vision was clouding too, every so often he’d be forced to blink several times to try and restore his vision from the dark little spots that had started to spring up. He bit his lip, forcing himself to keep going. In the back of his mind he could hear his old drill sergeant yelling at him.

“YOU WANNA DIE IN THE MUD MARINE?! THEN MOVE YOUR ASS BEFORE I MOVE IT FOR YOU!”

He could see the building now. No longer was it just a blip on his scanner and in front of him eyes. Now it was a form, it’s artificially straight lines jutting upwards from the soft rolling curves of the planets hills. His pace quickened even as his muscled ached and protested the movement. He started to run, forcing himself to draw even breaths, painfully aware of the bar that was reaching its limit.

For a moment he considered changing course and trying to get into one of the smaller shed style buildings that were closer to him. But almost instantly he discarded that idea. If they were sheds for storage they could be locked, and the time it would take him to try and pry the doors open was time he didn’t have.

For a sickening second he felt his heart sink. What if the main door to the facility was locked? What if he’d made the trip for nothing and died trying to open the facility’s doors? He forced those thoughts from his mind. They wouldn’t do him any good; right now he needed to focus. his stomach churned and lurched as the sight of the building’s doors came into view, somehow making him more just a bit faster so as to try and reach them sooner. In his hear the voice of his nanites spoke.

_‘Toxicity levels at critical. Recommend seeking immediate shelter and medical attention.’_

But he ignored the voice, his hands coming up in front of him as he neared the doors. He staggered slightly, his feet slipping a little on the metal ramp leading up to the doors as a wave of dizziness and nausea washed over him. He blinked furious, trying to clear his vision which was now completely blurred. But still he continued forward, his hands outstretched ready to brace himself against the metal door while he tried to find a way to open it.

A second later though he yelped involuntarily as the doors hissed open automatically. As a result he staggered through the door, his tired legs combined with the effects of the toxins coursing through his veins making him loose his balance collapse in a heap just inside the doorway. His entire body felt wrong, like ants were crawling all over his skin. His vision swam horribly and before he knew what he was doing his sides heaved and shook as he vomited.

Everything seemed to come to a halt as he struggled to breath, he’s sides heaving and shaking as the contents of his stomach erupted from his mouth. in truth there was little to throw up, most of the expelled material was water and stomach bile; but that didn’t make the experience any less disgusting.

After a few waves of vomit he managed to move, his legs removing to move; forcing him to pull himself with his arm. He grunted and struggled, managing to drag himself a few feet from the door to the facility. He’d made it barely 10 feet before he arms broke down too; refusing to listen to his brains commands as they gave in to the feeling of pins and needles that had enveloped his body.

He lay there on the floor, unable to move. His body had gone completely number and the dark spots had started to grow, overtaking his vision as he started to fade out of consciousness. He tried to breath, to inhale the atmosphere that filled the building but found that his lungs refused to take deep breaths. He felt like the floor was moving under him as his head spun and swam with dizziness.

Through all of it he thought he heard a voice speaking, calling to him. And yet try as he might he could not make the words out as the last shred of consciousness slipped from him; the darkness rushing in upon him.


End file.
